LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences

MGMT261IntroductiontoPolicyAnalysis
FallSemester2015

Instructor
RoomNo.
OfficeHours
Email
Telephone
Secretary/TA
TAOfficeHours
CourseURL(ifany)

Dr.GhazalZulfiqar
327,3rdFloorSDSB
TBA
ghazal.zulfiqar@lums.edu.pk
Ext8456
MuneezehHussain
TBA
Suraj.lums.edu.pk

COURSEBASICS
CreditHours
Lecture(s)
Recitation/Lab(perweek)
Tutorial(perweek)

NbrofLec(s)PerWeek
NbrofLec(s)PerWeek
NbrofLec(s)PerWeek

Duration
Duration
Duration

75minutes

COURSEDISTRIBUTION
Core
Elective
OpenforStudentCategory
CloseforStudentCategory

Sophomores,JuniorsandSeniors

COURSEDESCRIPTION
Thiscourseisdesignedtointroducestudentstotheinterdisciplinaryfieldofpublicpolicy.Bynecessitythecourseisasurveyof
topicsrelatedtopolicymakingandanalysis,including:thepolicymakingprocess,powerinpublicpolicy,officialandunofficialactors
in the policy process, and the dominant theories of policy analysis. Throughout the course, theoretical readings will be
supplemented with case studies relevant to the Pakistani context. In addition to developing an understanding of the central
concepts,definitionsanddebatesinpolicyanalysis,studentswillworkonanoriginalprojectinapolicyareaoftheirchoice.The
courseisdesignedtoenablestudentstoanalyzepoliciescritically,holisticallyandwithcontextualsoundness.

COURSEPREREQUISITE(S)

COURSELEARNINGOBJECTIVES

1.

2.
3.
4.

Providestudentswithasolid groundingin theliterature,debatesandlanguageoftheinterdisciplinary

fieldofpublicpolicy.
Helpstudentsdevelopanuancedunderstandingofwhypublicpolicyisacontestedspacebyintroducing
themtothecompetingandcomplementaryagendasofdifferentpolicystakeholders.
Encouragecriticalthinkingandproblemsolvingthroughtheapplicationoftheorytothelocalcontextand
byworkinginteamsonapolicyproject.
Improvestudentscommunicationskillsthroughwrittenassignmentsandoralpresentationsdesignedto
developexpertiseinaspecificpolicyareaofstudentschoice.
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LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences
UNDERGRADUATEPROGRAMLEARNINGGOALS&OBJECTIVES

GeneralLearningGoals&Objectives
Goal1EffectiveWrittenandOralCommunication
Objective:Studentswilldemonstrateeffectivewritingandoralcommunicationskills
Goal2EthicalUnderstandingandReasoning
Objective:Studentswilldemonstratethattheyareabletoidentifyandaddressethicalissuesinanorganizational
context.
Goal3AnalyticalThinkingandProblemSolvingSkills
Objective:Studentswilldemonstratethattheyareabletoidentifykeyproblemsandgenerateviablesolutions.
Goal4ApplicationofInformationTechnology
Objective:Studentswilldemonstratethattheyareabletousecurrenttechnologiesinbusinessandmanagement
context.
Goal5TeamworkinDiverseandMulticulturalEnvironments
Objective:Studentswilldemonstratethattheyareabletoworkeffectivelyindiverseenvironments.
Goal6UnderstandingOrganizationalEcosystems
Objective:StudentswilldemonstratethattheyhaveanunderstandingofEconomic,Political,Regulatory,Legal,
Technological,andSocialenvironmentoforganizations.

MajorSpecificLearningGoals&Objectives
Goal7(a)ProgramSpecificKnowledgeandUnderstanding
Objective:Studentswilldemonstrateknowledgeofkeybusinessdisciplinesandhowtheyinteractincluding
applicationtorealworldsituations.
Goal7(b)Understandingthesciencebehindthedecisionmakingprocess(forMGSMajors)
Objective:Studentswilldemonstrateabilitytoanalyzeabusinessproblem,designandapplyappropriate
decisionsupporttools,interpretresultsandmakemeaningfulrecommendationstosupportthedecisionmaker

Indicatebelowhowthecourselearningobjectivesspecificallyrelatetoanyprogramlearninggoalsandobjectives.

ProgramLearningGoalsand
Objectives

CourseLearningObjectives

CourseAssessmentItem

Goal1EffectiveWrittenandOral
Communication

4)Improvestudentscommunicationskills
throughwrittenassignmentsandoral
presentations,allofwhichwillleadtothe
developmentofexpertiseinaspecific
policyareaoftheirchoice.

2)Helpstudentsdevelopanuanced
understandingofwhypublicpolicyisa
contestedspacebyintroducingthemto
thecompetingandcomplementary
agendasofdifferentpolicystakeholders.

3)Encouragecriticalthinkingandproblem
solvingthroughindependentpolicy
projectsandapplicationtothelocal
context.

Writtenassignments/quizzes andproject
presentation.

Goal2EthicalUnderstandingand
Reasoning

Goal3AnalyticalThinkingandProblem
SolvingSkills

Goal4ApplicationofInformation
Technology

Classparticipation,writtenandoral
assignments/quizzes.

Classparticipation,written andoral
assignments/quizzesincludingthepolicy
project.

LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences
Goal5TeamworkinDiverseand
MulticulturalEnvironments

Goal6UnderstandingOrganizational
Ecosystems

Goal7(a)ProgramSpecificKnowledge
andUnderstanding
Goal7(b)Understandingthescience
behindthedecisionmakingprocess

Yessince:
Instructorwillguidestudents
workinteams.
Thecoursewillsurveypolicy
literaturefrommultiplefields
andregionsandapplyittothe
Pakistanicontext.
1) Providestudentswithasolidgrounding
intheliterature,debatesand
languageofthisinterdisciplinaryfield.
2) Helpstudentsdevelopanuanced
understandingofwhypublicpolicyis
acontestedspacebyintroducing
themtothecompetingand
complementaryagendasofdifferent
policystakeholders.

Yes,allcourselearningobjectiveswill
applyhere.

Teamprojectandpresentation.Class
participationandassignments/quizzes.

Classparticipation,writtenandoral
assignments/quizzes.

Classparticipation,writtenandoral
assignments/quizzesincludingthepolicy
project.

LEARNINGOUTCOMES

Uponsuccessfulcompletionofthecourse,studentsshouldbeableto:

1. Demonstrateanunderstandingofkeyconceptsinpolicyanalysis.
2. Beabletoidentify,defineandanalyzepolicyproblemsinthemannerofapolicyanalystanddemonstrateit
throughwrittenandoralassignments,andquizzes.
3. Demonstrateanappreciationofthecomplexityofthepublicpolicyprocess,bothbroadlyspeakingandinthe
Pakistanicontext.
4. Demonstratetheabilitytocriticallyanalyzeaspecificpolicyissue/problemindependentlyandinteams.

GRADINGBREAKUPANDPOLICY
Gradingbreakup:

Attendance5%
ClassParticipation10%
Quizzes15%
Assignments10%
Project10%
Midterm25%
Final25%

Assignments/Quizzes
TWOwrittenassignmentsoneofthemwillrelatetothepolicytermproject.
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LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences

Assignmentssubmittedlatebutwithin24hoursofthedeadlinelose15%oftheassignmentsgrade.
Assignmentssubmittedbetween2448hoursafterthedeadlinelose40%offtheassignmentsgrade.
Noassignmentwillbeacceptedlaterthan48hoursofthedeadline.
FIVEannouncedquizzesallwillbeincludedinfinalgrade

Attendance/ClassParticipation
Youcanhaveupto3absencesthroughoutthecoursewithoutlosinganyattendancepointsafterwhicheachabsencetakes
away1%ofthegradeuptoatotalof5%.
Latearrivalsareverydisruptivetothesession.Youwillbemarkedabsentshouldyouarrive5minutesafterthesessionbegins
andnotreceiveanyCPpointsforthatsession.
OptionsformakeupclassparticipationorquizzesareNOTavailable.

ProjectPresentation
YouwillidentifyaspecificpolicyareaorissueandcriticallyapplyittoanactualcaseinthePakistanicontext.Youareaskedto
getintouchwiththeinstructorviaemailandinpersonmeetingstodiscussyourtopicandanalysisplan.Adetailedmemoon
thestructure,content,deliveryanddeadlinesfortheprojectwillbehandedoutinclass.

CELLPHONES,LAPTOPSANDOTHERELECTRONICSSHOULDBETURNEDOFFDURINGCLASS.ABSOLUTELYNOTEXTINGOR
INTERNETBROWSINGDURINGCLASS.

EXAMINATIONDETAIL

Midterm
Exam

FinalExam

Yes/No:Yes
CombineSeparate:
Duration:
PreferredDate:
ExamSpecifications:

Yes/No:Yes
CombineSeparate:
Duration:
ExamSpecifications:

LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences
COURSEOVERVIEW
WEEK/
LECTURE/
MODULE

TOPICS

RECOMMENDED
READINGS

OBJECTIVES/
APPLICATION

Module1:Introduction

3.

CourseIntroduction

WhatisPublicPolicy?

Module2:Goals,ValuesandPowerinthePolicyProcess

Stone,D.(2001).Ch.1:TheMarketand
thePolis.PolicyParadox.W.W.Norton
&Company

TheRoleoftheGovernmentand
theMarket

89

Anderson,J.(2010).Ch.1:TheStudyof
PublicPolicy.PublicPolicymaking.
CentageLearning.

ThePolicyProcess

PowerandthePolicyProcess

Introductions.Overviewofthe
course,assignmentsand
instructorexpectations.

Introductiontothefield,policy
typologiesandasummary
introductiontothemain
theoreticalapproachestopublic
policy.

Acomparisonbetweenhowthe
politicalsystemandthemarket
modeldealswithissuesofpublic
policy.

Okun,A.(1975).Ch.1:Rights&Dollars. Adiscussionoftheinherent
Equality&Efficiency.Brookings
tradeoffsbetweenefficiencyand
InstitutionPress
equalityinthepolicyworldand
howthatcreatesatension
betweendemocracyand
capitalism.

Anintroductiontothediscrete
Theodoulou,S.(2013).Ch.44:The
StructureandContentofPolicyMaking. policycyclemodel.

PublicPolicyTheEssentialReadings.

2ndEdition.Pearson.

Stone,D.(2001):Ch.12Inducements& Applyingthecarrotandstick
Ch.13:Rules.PolicyParadox.W.W.
analogyasanalternate
Norton&Company.
explanationofthepolicyprocess.

Stone,D.(2001):Ch.15PowersPolicy

Paradox.W.W.Norton&Company

Ananalysisofpowerinthepolicy
Piven,F.(2008)Ch.2:TheNatureof
processfrombothatopdown
DisruptivePower.Challenging
andabottomupperspective.
Authority.Rowman&Littlefield.

Salim,A.(2008).Ch.1.4.2ShahInayat
Anexampleofalocalsocial
ofJhok.PeasantLandRights
movementforpeasantland
MovementsofPakistan.p.5.
5

LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences

10

PoliticsandPolicyMaking

11

PolicySubsystems

12

MediaanditsInfluenceonPolicy

13

14

AgendaSetting

Implementation

15
16

1718

Evaluation

SustainableDevelopmentPolicy
Institute(SDPI),Islamabad.

Dawn.(July2014).TheSocialistSufiand
theJhokWar.

Cheema,A.;Khan,A.&Myerson,R.
(2014).BreakingtheCountercyclical
PatternofLocalDemocracyinPakistan.

Meier,K.(2013).Ch.36:Regulation:
Politics,Bureaucracy,andEconomics.
PublicPolicyTheEssentialReadings.
2ndEdition.Pearson.

Khan,M.A.(2009).TheMediatizationof
PoliticsinPakistan:AStructural
Analysis.Pakistaniaat:AJournalof
PakistanStudies.Vol.1(1).

GuestLecture:TBA

Module3:AnalyzingthePolicyProcess

Kingdon,J.(2013).Ch.25:WhySome
IssuesRiseandOthersAreNegated.
PublicPolicyTheEssentialReadings.
2ndEdition.Pearson.

Gazdar,H.(2014).AWindowHalfOpen:
NutritionPolicyinPakistan.GlobalFood
PolicyReport.InternationalFoodPolicy
ResearchInstitute.(WEB)

Matland,R.(2013).Ch.49:Synthesizing
theImplementationLiterature.Public
PolicyTheEssentialReadings.2nd
Edition.Pearson.

Midtermcoursereview
Midtermexam
Theodolou,S.&Kofinis,C.(2013).
(2013).Ch.50:TheAssessmentof
ExecutedPolicySolutions.PublicPolicy
TheEssentialReadings.2ndEdition.
Pearson.
Khan,A.(2011).LadyHealthWorkers
andSocialChangeinPakistan.Economic
&PoliticalWeekly,Vol.XLVI(30).
6

rightstakenfromPakistans
history.

Ananalysisofhownational
politicsinPakistanhashistorically
underminedlocalgovernance.

Ananalysisofhowvarious
factorsmoveanissueforwardin
thedifferentstagesofthepolicy
processincludingpolitics,
economicconsiderations,special
interestsandthemedia.

Unpackingthecomplexprocess
ofhowissuesgetrankedonthe
policyagenda.
Pakistansnutritionpolicywillbe
usedasacasestudyinthis
context.

Policyimplementationistheleast
understoodaspectofthepolicy
process.Thissectionsynthesizes
thetopdownandbottomup
approachestounderstanding
policyimplementation.

Thissectionintroducestherole
andscopeofevaluation,andhow
itcanprovidefeedbacktoother
componentsofthepolicy
process.
Thisissupplementedbyan
evaluationoftheLadyHealth
WorkerschemeinPakistan.

LahoreUniversityofManagementSciences

19

20

21

22

2324

Module4:ParticipantsinthePolicyProcess

Anderson,J.Ch.2:The PolicyMakers

andTheirEnvironmentPublic

Policymaking.CentageLearning.

OfficialActors
Shafqat,S.(1999).Pakistani

Bureaucracy:CrisisofGovernanceand
ProspectsofReform.ThePakistan
DevelopmentReview.

Khan,A.&Khan,R.(2004).Driversof

ChangeinPakistanCivilSocietyand

SocialChangeinPakistan.Collectivefor

SocialScienceResearch,Karachi.

UnofficialActors
Stone,D.(2008).GlobalPublicPolicy,

TransnationalPolicy
CommunitiesandtheirNetworks.Policy
StudiesJournal,Vol.36(1).

Waltersetal.(2000). PuttingMore

PublicinPolicyAnalysis.Public

AdministrationReview.Vol.60.349
PuttingthePublicBackinPublic
359.
Policy

Anintroductiontothepolicy
environment,andofficialpolicy
actorssuchaslegislators,
bureaucrats,courts,political
parties,interestgroups,research
institutesandindividualcitizens.

Anintroductiontounofficial
policyactors,includingNGOs,
civilsocietygroups,and
internationalpolicycommunities
andnetworks.

Thissectionexaminespublic
participationasameasureof
gaugingthepublicinteresttenet
ofpublicpolicy.

Module5:Presentations

2527
28

Studentpresentations
Finalcoursereview

TEXTBOOK(S)/SUPPLEMENTARYREADINGS
The following textbooks will be used in this course. The first is an anthology of policy scholarship and will include most of the
readingslistedabove:

1) Theodoulou,S.&Cahn,M.(2013).PublicPolicyTheEssentialReadings.NewJersey,PrenticeHall.
2) Stone,D.(2008).PolicyParadoxTheArtofPoliticalDecisionMaking.NewYork,W.W.Norton&Company.
Additionalreadingswillbemadeavailabletostudentselectronically.Thesewillconsistofnewspaperarticlesandtechnicalnotes
thatwillserveascasestudiesforvarioussectionsofthecourse.